1835. hexékonta
Lexical Summary
hexékonta: Sixty

Original Word: ἑξήκοντα
Part of Speech: Indeclinable Numeral (Adjective)
Transliteration: hexékonta
Pronunciation: hek-SAY-kon-tah
Phonetic Spelling: (hex-ay'-kon-tah)
KJV: sixty(-fold), threescore
NASB: sixty, seven
Word Origin: [from the tenth multiple of hex]

1. sixty

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
sixty, threescore.

The tenth multiple of hex; sixty -- sixty(-fold), threescore.

see GREEK hex

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
cardinal number from hex and a modified form of deka
Definition
sixty
NASB Translation
seven (1), sixty (7), sixty-six* (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1835: ἑξήκοντα

ἑξήκοντα, οἱ, αἱ, τά, sixty: Matthew 13:8, 23, etc.

Topical Lexicon
Scope and Meaning

ἑξήκοντα denotes the cardinal number “sixty.” In Scripture it functions as an exact figure, never as a vague approximation. Its occurrences span parable, narrative, instruction for church order, and prophecy, showing that God communicates with numerical precision across varied genres.

Harvest Multiplication in the Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:8, Matthew 13:23, Mark 4:8, and Mark 4:20 place “sixtyfold” between “thirtyfold” and “hundredfold.” The gradation underscores both the certainty of fruitfulness in receptive hearts and the diversity of results under the same gospel seed. Sixtyfold represents abundant yield without implying perfection; the number invites every believer to expect significant but varying increase. By citing it twice in each Gospel (statement of the parable and Jesus’ explanation), the Evangelists anchor the idea that spiritual fruit is measurable and recognizably large.

Measured Journey on the Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:13 records that Emmaus lay “about sixty stadia” from Jerusalem (“about seven miles”). The distance is near enough for the disciples to reach Jerusalem before nightfall yet long enough for the risen Christ to open “all the Scriptures” to them on the way. The precise figure conveys the historical concreteness of the resurrection appearance and reinforces that the walk provided sufficient time for extended exposition—a pattern for Word-centered discipleship.

Age Qualification for Widows

In 1 Timothy 5:9 Paul instructs, “A widow should be enrolled only if she is at least sixty years old”. The benchmark recognizes sixty as the threshold of seniority in Greco-Roman and Jewish cultures, when remarriage was considered improbable and financial vulnerability more acute. By fixing the number, Paul protects the church from subjective favoritism and reserves sustained support for those no longer able to maintain themselves. The standard also honors mature womanhood, indicating a stage of life suited to mentoring younger believers (1 Timothy 5:10; Titus 2:3–5).

Eschatological Timeframes of 1,260 Days

Revelation 11:3 and Revelation 12:6 both include ἑξήκοντα within the composite 1,260 (one thousand two hundred sixty) days. The repeated span matches the “time, times, and half a time” of Daniel 7:25 and Daniel 12:7, laying down a prophetic period of three and one-half years. Sixty here is integral to the total, underscoring that God governs history to the very day. The painstaking specificity assures persecuted saints that tribulation is neither random nor endless—it is counted, limited, and under divine appointment.

Moral Calculation and the Number of the Beast

Revelation 13:18 reads, “that number is 666” (ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ). The middle element, ἑξήκοντα, forms part of a triple-six structure that imitates yet falls short of the divine fullness symbolized by seven. Here sixty is locked into an anti-Trinity of sixes, warning the church that evil often masquerades as near perfection. The saints are called to “calculate” (ψηφισάτω) the number, demonstrating that careful, Spirit-guided reasoning about Scripture and culture is essential for discernment in the last days.

Theology of Numbers: Sixty as Mature Sufficiency

Throughout the New Testament record, sixty implies completeness suited to purpose yet less than the maximal (hundredfold) or ultimate (sevenfold) ideal. In agrarian context it marks a harvest far beyond expectations; in pastoral care it delineates the season of life where ministry roles shift from active provisioning to receiving communal support; in prophecy it contributes to arithmetic that seals God’s sovereign horizons. The Holy Spirit thus employs sixty to teach both realism and hope—realism that fruit, age, or trial has definable limits, and hope that those limits are set by a faithful Lord.

Pastoral and Practical Implications

• Encourage believers that significant fruitfulness (sixtyfold) is attainable without every life reaching the same numerical outcome.
• Value older saints; at sixty and beyond they remain essential to the body, though their needs may differ.
• Equip disciples through unhurried Scripture journeys—Jesus’ sixty-stadia walk models conversation, exposition, and fellowship.
• Prepare the church for tribulation with the assurance that God has already numbered the days.
• Cultivate biblical numeracy, enabling congregations to resist counterfeit systems symbolized by calculated numbers like 666.

Summary

ἑξήκοντα threads through teaching, narrative, instruction, and prophecy as a marker of God-ordained measure. Whether describing crops, miles, years, or apocalyptic calculations, “sixty” reinforces that the Lord governs growth, guides journeys, guards the vulnerable, and guarantees the consummation of His redemptive plan.

Forms and Transliterations
εξηκοντα εξήκοντα ἑξήκοντα εξηκονταδύο εξηκονταέξ εξηκονταεπτά εξηκονταέτους εξηκονταετών εξηκονταοκτώ εξηκονταπέντε εξηλίασαν εξηλιασμένων εξηλιάσωμεν exekonta exēkonta hexekonta hexēkonta hexḗkonta
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 13:8 Adj
GRK: ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα ὃ δὲ
NAS: some sixty, and some
KJV: some sixtyfold, some
INT: some moreover sixty some moreover

Matthew 13:23 Adj
GRK: ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα ὃ δὲ
NAS: some sixty, and some
KJV: some sixty, some
INT: some moreover sixty some moreover

Mark 4:8 Adj
GRK: καὶ ἐν ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἐν
NAS: thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.
KJV: and some sixty, and some
INT: and one sixty and one

Mark 4:20 Adj
GRK: καὶ ἐν ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἐν
NAS: thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.
KJV: thirtyfold, some sixty, and some
INT: and one sixty and one

Luke 24:13 Adj
GRK: ἀπέχουσαν σταδίους ἑξήκοντα ἀπὸ Ἰερουσαλήμ
NAS: Emmaus, which was about seven miles
KJV: Jerusalem [about] threescore furlongs.
INT: being distant furlongs sixty from Jerusalem

1 Timothy 5:9 Adj
GRK: ἔλαττον ἐτῶν ἑξήκοντα γεγονυῖα ἑνὸς
NAS: only if she is not less than sixty years
KJV: under threescore years old,
INT: less than years sixty being of one

Revelation 11:3 Adj
GRK: χιλίας διακοσίας ἑξήκοντα περιβεβλημένοι σάκκους
NAS: hundred and sixty days,
KJV: two hundred [and] threescore days,
INT: a thousand two hundred [and] sixty clothed in sackcloth

Revelation 12:6 Adj
GRK: χιλίας διακοσίας ἑξήκοντα
NAS: two hundred and sixty days.
KJV: two hundred [and] threescore days.
INT: one thousand two hundred [and] sixty

Revelation 13:18 Adj
GRK: αὐτοῦ ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ
NAS: is six hundred and sixty-six.
INT: of it six hundred sixty six

Strong's Greek 1835
9 Occurrences


ἑξήκοντα — 9 Occ.

1834
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